Alice Cooper
I would like to induct Alice Cooper (the band) to my DRAHoF list...
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I can do without the shock rock guillotine Halloween make-up stuff associated with Alice Cooper. What I'm inducting here is the early '70's band (not the guy now known as Alice Cooper, but the band).
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Alice Cooper was a band formed in Phoenix, Arizona way back in 1964 (altho they did not become well-known until the early '70's). The band consisted of lead singer Vince Furnier (stage name became Alice Cooper), Glen Buxton, Michael Bruce, Dennis Dunaway and Neal Smith. Furnier legally changed his name to Alice Cooper and has had a solo career under that name since the band became inactive in 1975.
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I was never much into hard rock back in the '70's... more of a Beatles guy... but I remember Alice Cooper from back then and like a lot of their songs that were on their Greatest Hits album, which I had. I have memories of being in a candlepin bowling league at Kemp's in Natick... and the best thing on the jukebox back then was "School's Out". My friend Geoff introduced me to that song.
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I also have a memory of seeing the lead singer, Alice Cooper, on TV when I was young (on Truth or Consequences, actually). Always thought it was a strange name for a guy or a band.
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The band became notorious for their elaborate, theatrical shock rock stage shows. And I have memories of people talking about that, altho I was too young to go at the time and it probably wasn't my thing anyway.
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But I like a good handful of songs, enough for this induction...
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A few more tidbits of info gleaned from Wikipedia:
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The band peaked in popularity in 1973 with their album Billion Dollar Babies and its tour, which broke box-office records previously held by The Rolling Stones.
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The legend is that the name "Alice Cooper" came from a session with a Ouija board and was the name of a 17th century witch. However, Furnier described this as an urban legend. Furnier stated the name was chosen simply as a gimmick, because it sounded innocuous and wholesome, in humorous contrast to the band's image and music.
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They played a lot in L.A. but gained greater popularity in Detroit. Their bizarre stage act was much better received by Midwestern crowds accustomed to the proto punk styles of local bands such as the Stooges and the MC5. "L.A. just didn’t get it," Furnier stated. "They were all on the wrong drug for us. They were on acid and we were basically drinking beer. We fit much more in Detroit than we did anywhere else."
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Hooking up with young producer Bob Ezrin, Alice Cooper released the single "I'm Eighteen" in late 1970, and it became a surprise Top 40 hit.
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They later headlined major tours from 1971 to 1974, before breaking up.
